Publications Repository - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

für diesen Vortrag hat keine inhaltliche Kurzfassung vorgelegen

für diesen Vortrag hat keine inhaltliche Kurzfassung vorgelegen

für diesen Vortrag hat keine inhaltliche Kurzfassung vorgelegen

Large-scale, coherent flow structures of Rayleigh-Bénard convection in a finite liquid metal layer were examined experimentally by means of ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry. The fluid layer with aspect ratio of five and L = 40 mm in height was filled with eutectic alloy of GaInSn (Prandtl number, Pr = 0.03), and multiple ultrasonic transducers for the velocimetry were mounted in the side wall of the vessel to capture three-dimensional structures of the convection.
Spatio-tempral velocity maps obtained at different Rayleigh numbers in the range, 7900 < Ra < 180000, elucidated emergences of wavy-roll-like coherent structures, where the roll axis is determined quasi-randomly. The roll structure takes transition with reducing the number of rolls from four to three as Ra increases via intermediate regime between the two conditions, four or three rolls. With further increase of Ra a cellular structure with characteristics of fully developed thermal turbulence occupies the entire fluid layer. We will discuss details on derivation of the power law and relation with turbulent superstructures that have recently been discussed.

Experimental investigations of the fluid flow in the continuous casting mold are performed at the Mini-LIMMCAST facility of HZDR, which is a liquid metal mockup operated with GaInSn at room temperature. Velocity measurements in the non-transparent liquid metal are performed by means of the ultrasound Doppler velocimetry (UDV), which enables the reconstruction of the complex flow pattern in the mold. The focus of our study is on the influence of different electromagnetic actuators like electromagnetic brakes (EMBr) or electromagnetic stirring (EMS) on the mold flow in slab and bloom geometries.

Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPCs) are often used as time-of-flight (TOF) detectors for high-energy physics and nuclear experiments thanks to their excellent time accuracy. For the Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) TOF system, MRPCs are required to work at particle fluxes on the order of 1-10 kHz/cm² for the outer region and 10-25 kHz/cm² for the central region. Better time resolution will allow particle identification with TOF techniques to be performed at higher momenta. From our previous studies, a time resolution of 25 ps has been obtained with a 20-gap MRPC of 140 µm gap size with enhanced rate capbability. By using a new type of commercially available thin low-resistivity glass, further improvement MRPC rate capability is possible. In order to study the rate capability of the 10-gap MRPC built with this new low-resistivity glass, we have performed tests using the continuous electron beam at ELBE. This 10-gap MRPC, with 160 µm gaps, reaches 97% efficiency at 19.2 kV and a time resolution of 36 ps at particle fluxes near 2 kHz/cm². At a flux of 100 kHz/cm², the efficiency is still above 95% and a time resolution of 50 ps is obtained, which would fulfil the requirement of CBM TOF system.

Um neue Erkenntnisse in für Patienten nützliche Behandlungsansätze überführen zu können, werden in der medizinischen (onkologischen) Translationsforschung zunehmend prospektive klinische Studien initiiert. Damit diese Studien möglichst effizient und effektiv durchgeführt werden können, bedarf es der engen Kooperation und Kommunikation von Experten aus verschiedenen Berufsgruppen. In diesem Aufsatz beleuchten wir am Beispiel der prospektiven onkologisch-klinischen DKTK-PSMA-Studie der Phasen-I/-II „68Ga-PSMA-11 in Hochrisiko-Prostatakrebs“, welche wesentlichen Professionen bei der Planung, Vorbereitung und Durchführung von (nuklearmedizinisch) klinischen Studien involviert sein können und welche essenziellen Aufgaben diese zur Verwirklichung der Studie leisten. Darauf aufbauend führen wir allgemeine organisatorische Maßnahmen an, durch welche die interprofessionelle Zusammenarbeit bei künftig weiteren (nicht nur onkologischen)
Studien gefördert werden kann.

A Circular Economy (CE) paradigm aims to maximize sustainability and resource efficiency by extending product life cycles and using wastes as resources. So, what is the brave step that will deliver the CE for modern services, complex products, and society in general? Questions we should, among others, ask and attempt to answer are (i) What are the challenges to achieve this move forward? (ii) What does the metallurgical infrastructure have to be that maximally recovers materials from increasingly complex products and services, while returning high quality materials back into the CE? (iii) What smart energy and water grid will maximize resource efficiency and minimize exergy destruction of an increasingly complex society and system? In order to answer these questions, the role of metallurgical processing systems, smart materials production, digital technology platforms, product design etc. will be discussed in the context of Sustainable Circular Cities. It will furthermore be shown how digitalized real-time simulation and control of material and metal flow and metallurgical processing systems i.e. the “Smart Materials Grid - SMG” will form the heart of the CE system. The SMG will integrate into the water, energy, transport, heavy industry, and other grid systems and will help drive the resource efficiency of the future “Sustainable Circular Cities.” This will help to enable “Smart Sustainable Living” by also helping to quantify and realize the United Nation’s Sustainability Development Goals.

In den Prozessen der mechanischen Verfahrenstechnik (Flockung, Flotation, usw.) werden häufig partikuläre Feststoffsysteme in flüssigen Medien verarbeitet. Dabei spielen die interpartikulären Wechselwirkungen der jeweiligen dispersen Systeme eine entscheidende Rolle für das Prozessziel. Die Oberflächen der Partikel unterliegen chemischer und physikalischer Heterogenität, was den Prozessablauf maßgeblich beeinflussen kann.
Die Masterarbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Charakterisierung dieser Heterogentität mittels verschiedener Messmethoden an einem Modellpartikelsystem bestehend aus Kalk-Natron-Glas-Kugeln und Glasfasern. Zum einen steht die Partikelform bzw. deren Rauigkeit im Vordergrund, wobei letztere durch Ätzung mittels Flusssäure durch unterschiedliche Beanspruchungszeiten geändert wird. Die Partikelform wird variiert, indem zum einen kugelförmige, gebrochen kugelförmige und faserförmige Glas-Partikel vermessen werden. Die beiden zentralen Versuchsmethoden sind dabei die Messung der Haftkräfte zwischen den kugelförmigen Partikeln mittels Colloidal-Probe-Rasterkraftmikroskopie und der Messung der Oberflächenenergieverteilung mittels der inversen Gaschromatographie. Zusätzlich werden die zu untersuchenden Partikelsysteme chemisch durch Veresterung modifieziert, um den Einfluss der Benetzung mit zu berücksichtigen. Schlussendlich sollen dadurch Einblicke für den Einfluss der Heterogentität auf den Erfolg der Flotation bzw. der (Hetero)-Koagolation erzielt werden.

The treatment of patients suffering from cancer with α-particle-emitting therapeutics continues to receive increasing interest. The range of radiopharmaceutically relevant α-emitters is limited to only a few radionuclides (e.g. actinium-225 and bismuth-213) as stable chelators or carrier systems for safe transport of the radioactive cargo are often lacking. Encapsulation of α-emitters into solid inorganic systems can help to diversify the portfolio of candidate radionuclides, providing that these nanomaterials effectively retain both the parent and the recoil daughters. We therefore focus on the design of stable and defined nanocarrier-based systems for various radionuclides including the promising α-emitting radionuclide radium-224. Hence, we report on the synthesis of sub-10 nm alendronate-functionalized barium sulfate nanoparticles, into whose matrix different radiometals including zirconium-89, indium-111, barium-131, barium-133, lutetium-177 and radium-224 were stably incorporated with appropriate yields. Our delivery systems show stabilities of g.t. 90% up to seven days regarding the radiometal release from the BaSO4 matrix. Furthermore, radium-224-labeled particles possess stabilities of 80% regarding the decay chain product lead-212. In fact, the majority of nanoparticles withstand the α-recoil and keeps the daughter radionuclides trapped. Noteworthy, due to the accessibility of reactive alendronate amine groups on their surface, it is possible to further modify this functionalized inorganic system by common amine-coupling strategies as exemplified herein by conjugation of fluorescein isothiocyanate. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibit some degree of nonspecific protein binding upon exposure to human serum, offering the possibility to add beneficial properties of a protein corona to the intrinsic features of the nanosystem.

Background:

Brain cancer is a challenge for the health care system because of major problems for treatment. Radical surgery is not possible. Radiation treatment is restricted by missing borderlines, and drug treatment is limited by the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive type of primary brain tumors, has a median overall survival of only ~12 months. Although new molecular pathways are being constantly discovered, translation of basic science into clinical practice is rather slow. Major obstacles in the resistance to therapy are heterogeneity of brain tumors, multiple genetic alterations, and their diffuse, infiltrative behavior. Hence monitoring of pathways related to tumor etiology and growth is highly important.
Methodology:
Positron emission tomography (PET) offers the potential to identify key signaling and metabolic pathways in tumors and to discover drugs for targeted therapy. An important prerequisite for PET is the development of radiolabeled molecules (radiotracer) to investigate impaired brain functions in living human subjects. Fluorine-18 is currently the most favorable radionuclide that is routinely used for radiolabeling because of its half-life of 109.8 min. The presentation will focus on the development of fluorine-18 labelled radiotracers bridging from basic science to biomedical application and focusing on four targets of major importance for brain cancer.
Results and Discussion:
Cannabinoids are known to induce apoptosis of glioma cells and the extent of cannabinoid CB2 receptor expression is related to tumor malignancy. The challenge in radiotracer development is the high expression of CB1 receptors. Therefore our strategies will be presented to achieve highly selective PET radiotracers for CB2 receptors.
The immunosuppressive effects of adenosine and the adenosine-triggered activation of catabolic energy production account for pro-cancer roles of extracellular adenosine. Accordingly, plasma-membrane-bound adenosine receptors were identified as new targets in the immunotherapy of brain tumors. Currently, we have PET radiotracers for A2A and A2B receptors under development, which are regarded as potential tools for therapy monitoring.
Sigma receptors, previously regarded as opioid receptors, are comprised of the σ1 and σ2 subtypes and represent orphan receptors of different families. While the σ1 receptor is a molecular chaperone, which interacts with various ion channels and G-protein coupled receptors, the σ2 receptor (TMEM97) is an intracellular protein located at the endoplasmatic reticulum that binds numerous drugs. There is evidence that both subtypes are important for glioblastoma growth thus facilitating the ongoing development of selective PET radiotracers for both subtypes in our department.
Furthermore, as other cancers glioblastoma is characterized by metabolic reprogramming to preferentially undergo aerobic glycolysis. The elevated production of lactate is accompanied by the increased expression of monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs). Accordingly a therapeutic approach targeting MCTs is a promising strategy in brain cancer treatment. A PET radiotracer for peripheral MCT1/MCT4 imaging has already been developed by us and will be discussed concerning its suitability for glioblastoma imaging.
Conclusion:
Numerous attempts are ongoing for molecular characterization of brain cancer with PET radiopharmaceuticals. It is expected that they will support in the future patient stratification and hence individualized therapy.

The importance of metals in society,
The fundamental role of metals (incl. lead) in a circular society,
Metallurgical infrastructure criticality in a circular society

Deionized water and glucose with yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) of optical density OD600 ranging from 4 to 16 has been put in the ring electrode region of impedance biochips and impedance has been measured in dependence on the added volume (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 L). Modeled impedance of the biochip reveals a linear relationship between the impedance model parameters and yeast concentration. Presented biochips allow for continuous impedance measurements without interrupting the cultivation of the yeast. A multiparameter fit of the impedance model parameters allows to determine the concentration of yeast cy in the range from cy = 3.3x107 to cy = 17x107 cells/mL. This work shows that independent on the liquid, DI water or glucose, the change of the impedance model parameters with increasing added volume of the liquid is clearly distinguishable from the change of impedance model parameters with increasing concentration of added yeast in the ring electrode region of the impedance biochips.

Metals are eminently recyclable, and by recycling and refining complex materials, the EU's interconnected metals sector is responding to the increasing scarcity of certain metals. In this way, we are delivering and recovering the technology and base metals for the EU's Circular Economy (CE). Moreover, metals are at the heart of the energy infrastructures that now run Circular Cities, and they will play an even greater part in the future. One of these metals is lead. With respect to this familiar metal, industry is fully aware that in order to keep on using it, the associated risks need to be well managed at all times. Importantly, lead is a key enabler in the CE, as it is capable of dissolving and carrying a multitude of technology elements. The recovery and recycling of several critical technology elements is based on refining them from lead through well-developed metallurgical processes in which the lead acts as a carrier metal. Limiting lead metallurgy would have a detrimental impact, not only on the lead industry itself, but on all the industries linked to it. It is therefore critical that we maintain and further develop the lead infrastructure and know-how in Europe. To put it simply, lead metallurgy is fundamental if the EU wants to retain its leading position in the global CE. Executive Summary the 5 lessons learned: • Lesson 1: Lead is frequently seen as a problematic metal that can be detrimental to human health; what is much less well known is its fundamental role in extrac-tive metallurgy and how this is closely associated with the Circular Economy. • Lesson 2: Molten lead has unique properties that means it can act as an efficient liquid carrier for critical raw materials such as In, Bi, Cd and Te. • Lesson 3: Restricting lead metallurgy in the EU would not only have a detrimental impact on the lead industry, but also on all the industries linked to it that work with elements like Ag, Cu, Sb, Sn, Te, and Zn. • Lesson 4: The focus must be on correctly and comprehensively minimising the risks of lead-containing materials for society and carefully managing them, rather than attempting to ban the use of lead. • Lesson 5: An environmentally friendly and energy-efficient lead infrastructure together with the associated research and know-how in Europe is absolutely vital if the continent is to maintain its global leadership in the Circular Economy.

Realising the circular economy is faced with some significant challenges. Process metallurgy and its infrastructure play key roles at the heart of making the circular economy work. The enabling role of process metallurgy within the circular economy and circular cities will be discussed, touching also on product and system design.

"Radiopharmaka sind Arzneimittel die Radionuklide enthalten, deren Strahlungsaktivität unter anderem auch häufig auch für die Diagnose von Krebserkrankungen genutzt wird. Dabei werden bildgebende Verfahren angewandt, wo die emittierte Strahlung von einer Gamma-Kamera oder einem Tomographen aufgezeichnet wird. Für die Herstellung der Radiopharmaka werden spezielle Kenntnisse, Verfahren und Ausrüstungen benötigt. Der Vortrag beschreibt die Herstellung solcher kurzlebigen radioaktiven Arzneimittel im Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf und skizziert deren Anwendung in der Nuklearmedizin."

The stability criterion for the magnetic separation of rare-earth ions is studied, taking dysprosium Dy(iii) ions as an example. Emphasis is placed on quantifying the factors that limit the desired high enrichment. During magnetic separation, a layer enriched in Dy(iii) ions is generated via the surface evaporation of an aqueous solution which is levitated by the Kelvin force. Later, mass transport triggers instability in the enriched layer. The onset time and position of the instability is studied using an interferometer. The onset time signals that an advective process which significantly accelerates the stratification of enrichment is taking place, although the initial phase is quasi-diffusion-like. The onset position of the flow agrees well with that predicted with a generalized Rayleigh number (Ra∗=0) criterion which includes the Kelvin force term acting antiparallel to gravity. Further three-dimensional analysis of the potential energy, combining magnetic and gravitational terms, shows an energy barrier that has to be overcome to initiate instability. The position of the energy barrier coincides well with the onset position of the instability.

A new analytical tool for mineral analysis will be introduced: Laboratory-based Spectral 3D X-ray Computed Tomography (Sp-CT). Results from a spectral imaging detector, prototype installed inside a TESCAN CoreTOM micro-CT system, will be presented and discussed in the context of mineralogical and chemical analysis of geological materials. The technique will be demonstrated to allow:

a) 3D mineral classification from the transmitted energy spectrum characteristic of a mineral phase.
b) Quick bulk chemical quantification of heavy elements with K-edge > 20 keV at high concentrations that are difficult to analyse by other methods.
c) Reducing common CT artefacts such as scattering and beam hardening, as well as improved contrast by selectively choose the most convenient energy range.
The advantages of Sp-CT will open new possibilities in geometallurgy and minerals processing research to move from the predominant 2D based image characterization towards more representative 3D characterization. These are fundamental steps to enable automated and routine 3D characterization that ultimately has the potential to provide faster and lower cost analysis to, for example, the mining industry, as well as more comprehensive rock characterization technique for Earth sciences research.

An exemplary overview of the use of X-ray-based analytical methods in the resource industry, underpinned by examples, gives a very heterogeneous picture. The use of these methods is considered in the exploration, mining, mechanical processing and metallurgical/chemical processing of primary and secondary mineral and metallic raw materials.
Although X-ray diffraction, fluorescence, absorption and luminescence as well as various tomographic methods cover a very broad spectrum of methods, in many cases their use is apparently rather arbitrary, regardless of the respective matrix, technology and location.
For example for offline characterisation of raw materials and intermediates, established and reliable methods as well as pure estimation methods are used. In inline analytics, ad-hoc analytical instruments are used in addition to metrologically well-proven measuring systems that are well integrated into the respective technological processes. The enforcement of state standards with regard to environmental protection and resource use leads to a significant increase in the use of analytical technology and increased requirements for the certification of procedures.
A conspicuous feature is the constantly growing use of mobile "handheld devices", which are often used at decisive points to control the flow of materials. Very often, it can be observed that these devices, which in principle are very powerful, work under their respective capabilities or lead to significantly wrong results due to insufficiently thought-out and implemented measuring methods.
Almost all inline analytical methods used for sorting or process monitoring have the characteristic that they only lead to binary decisions. A comprehensive characterization of the material flow, which would lead both to flexible adaptation of the technologies used subsequently and to a significantly more differentiated splitting of the material flow, is a consequence of the ever more complex properties of the primary and secondary raw materials. This is the result of the change to economic forms with significantly stronger elements of a circular economy.
On the basis of current research at the HIF, it is presented how such a multi-effective measuring system could be designed. Furthermore, the advantages of the use of 3D methods in the characterization of primary and secondary raw materials as well as in the description of technological processes will be demonstrated. Both spectral XRCT (X-Ray Computed Tomography) and dynamic time-resolved XRCT methods are used.

The integration of an ion source having very high spatial resolution with a tandem accelerator is a long-standing concept for improving analytical selectivity and sensitivity by orders of magnitude [1]. Translating this design concept into reality has its challenges [e.g. 2,3], meaning this approach has seldom been employed for mineralogical and geochemical research [e.g. 4].
Supporting a strong focus on natural, metallic and mineral resources, the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology installed a so-called Super-SIMS at the Ion Beam Center at HZDR in Dresden-Rossendorf; this highly novel tool is devoted to the characterization of minerals and ores. The secondary ion beam from a CAMECA IMS 7f-auto is injected into the 6MV Dresden Accelerator Mass Spectrometry [5] facility, which effectively eliminates all molecular species from the ion beam.
We will present the current status of this initiative and will report our first results from halogen determinations (F, Cl, Br, I) in both sphalerite and galena. These data demonstrate a systematic and significant change in the counting rates of all halogens in mineralogically distinct areas of both minerals. Furthermore, we will describe our concepts for the quantification of these data at ultratrace levels.

[1] Matteson (2008) Mass Spec Rev 27, 470-484. [2] Ender et al. (1997) NIMB 123, 575-578. [3] Fahey et al. (2016) Anal Chem 88, 7145-7153. [4] Sie et al. (2000) NIMB 172, 228-234. [5] Rugel et al. (2016) NIMB 370, 94-100.

The integration of an ion source having very high spatial resolution with a tandem accelerator is a long-standing concept for improving analytical selectivity and sensitivity by orders of magnitude [1]. Translating this design concept into reality has its challenges [e.g. 2,3], meaning this approach has seldom be used in the framework of geochemical research [e.g. 4].
Supporting a strong focus on natural, metallic and mineral resources, the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology installed a so-called Super-SIMS at the Ion Beam Center at HZDR; this highly novel tool is devoted to the characterization of minerals and ores. The secondary ion beam from a CAMECA IMS 7f-auto is injected into the 6MV Dresden Accelerator Mass Spectrometry [5] facility, which quantitatively eliminates effectively all molecular species from the ion beam.
We will present the current status of this initiative and will report on the performance parameters of the Dresden Super-SIMS as well as first results from halogen determinations in sphalerite and galena. Furthermore, we will describe our concepts for the quantification of these data at the ultratrace level.
[1] Matteson (2008) Mass Spec Rev 27, 470-484. [2] Ender et al. (1997) NIMB 123 575-578. [3] Fahey et al. (2016) Anal Chem 88, 7145-7153. [4] Sie et al. (2000) NIMB 172, 228-234. [5] Rugel et al. (2016) NIMB 370 94-100.

Single-shot absorption measurements have been performed using the multi-keV x rays generated by alaser-wakefield accelerator. A 200 TW laser was used to drive a laser-wakefield accelerator in a modewhich produced broadband electron beams with a maximum energy above 1 GeVand a broad divergence of ≈15mrad FWHM. Betatron oscillations of these electrons generated1.2 0.2×106photons=eV in the5 keV region, with a signal-to-noise ratio of approximately 300∶1. This was sufficient to allow high-resolution x-ray absorption near-edge structure measurements at theKedge of a titanium sample in a singleshot. We demonstrate that this source is capable of single-shot, simultaneous measurements of both theelectron and ion distributions in matter heated to eV temperatures by comparison with density functionaltheory simulations. The unique combination of a high-flux, large bandwidth, few femtosecond durationx-ray pulse synchronized to a high-power laser will enable key advances in the study of ultrafast energeticprocesses such as electron-ion equilibration.

Laser-wakefield accelerators (LWFAs) are high acceleration-gradient plasma-based particle accelerators capable of producing ultra-relativistic electron beams. Within the strong focusing fields of the wakefield, accelerated electrons undergo betatron oscillations, emitting a bright pulse of X-rays with a micrometer-scale source size that may be used for imaging applications. Non-destructive X-ray phase contrast imaging and tomography of heterogeneous materials can provide insight into their processing, structure, and performance. To demonstrate the imaging capability of X-rays from an LWFA we have examined an irregular eutectic in the aluminum-silicon (Al-Si) system. The lamellar spacing of the Al-Si eutectic microstructure is on the order of a few micrometers, thus requiring high spatial resolution. We present comparisons between the sharpness and spatial resolution in phase contrast images of this eutectic alloy obtained via X-ray phase contrast imaging at the Swiss Light Source (SLS) synchrotron and X-ray projection microscopy via an LWFA source. An upper bound on the resolving power of 2.7 ± 0.3 μm of the LWFA source in this experiment was measured. These results indicate that betatron X-rays from laser wakefield acceleration can provide an alternative to conventional synchrotron sources for high resolution imaging of eutectics and, more broadly, complex microstructures.

Renewable methanol production is an emerging technology that bridges the gap in the shift from fossil fuel to renewable energy. Two thirds of the global emission of CO₂ stems from humanity’s increasing energy need from fossil fuels. Renewable energy, mainly from solar and wind energy, suffers from supply intermittency, which current grid infrastructures cannot accommodate. Excess renewable energy can be harnessed to power the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen, which can be used in the catalytic hydrogenation of waste CO₂ to produce renewable methanol. This review considers methanol production in the current context, regionally for Europe, which is dominated by Germany, and globally by China. Appropriate carbon-based feedstock for renewable methanol production is considered, as well as state-of-the-art renewable hydrogen production technologies. The economics of renewable methanol production necessitates the consideration of regionally relevant methanol derivatives. The thermodynamics, kinetics, catalytic reaction mechanism, operating conditions and reactor design are reviewed in the context of renewable methanol production to reveal the most up to date understanding.

We study thermal convection and electrovortex flow (EVF) in series of liquid gallium laboratory experiments. These two forces notably interact in liquid metal batteries (LMBs), a promising technology suited for grid-scale energy storage: convection occurs due to the presence of internal heating while EVF is driven by diverging current densities. Though these forces have potential to both help and hinder the batteries’ operation, flow structures and scaling properties in this context remain largely unknown. To this end, we present a suite of velocity measurements which reveal the dominant flow modes and typical flow speeds over broad ranges of convective forcing, EVF forcing, and container shape. These data are compared to predictions from both the EVF and convection literature.

We present a new theoretical model describing damped gravity-capillary waves in orbitally shaken cylinders. Our model
can account for both free-surface and two-layer interfacial waves and is therefore versatilely applicable to two different devices: to
study interfacial wave instabilities in liquid metal batteries and to better predict mixing regimes in orbitally shaken bioreactors. We
complement a potential model with viscous damping rates to incorporate energy dissipation. This approach allows us to calculate
explicit formulas for the responding amplitudes and the phase shifts between wave and shaker, which are in good agreement with our
experiments. As an unexpected result, the model predicts the formation of novel spiral wave patterns under the influence of strong
damping. By employing a Background-Oriented Schlieren method we can experimentally verify their existence.

In this study, we investigated the role of impurities, such as H, C, and O on the optical properties of the Ti(Al)N coatings. For comparison, coatings were prepared by direct-current magnetron sputtering (DC-MS) and high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) at the same average power. The elemental composition of the thin films was measured by elastic recoil detection analysis. Regardless of the deposition technique used, no significant difference in H and C concentrations were found. The analysis showed, that HiPIMS coatings contain less O impurities than the corresponding DC-MS films, despite the lower deposition rate. The reduced residual O content in HiPIMS coatings can be explained by the cleaning effect of the bombarding ions. Moreover, densification effects presumably suppress post-deposition oxidation. Given the reduced O content, HiPIMS films showed higher optical reflectance for the entire measured spectral range.

Mass transfer in the positive electrode is one of the main factors determining the efficiency of liquid metal batteries. While solutal convection is quite intense during charge, discharge rates are limited by diffusion into a stable density stratification. The resulting concentration polarization can be substantially reduced if electrodynamically driven flows are employed to stir the liquid alloy. This leads to marked improvements in battery performance.

Part of the process to assess the safety of disposal sites for radioactive or chemical-toxic waste is the predictive modeling of the solubility of hazardous components in a complex aqueous solution. To ensure the reliability of thermodynamic equilibrium modeling as well as to facilitate the comparison of such calculations done by different institutions it is necessary to create a mutually accepted thermodynamic reference database.
To meet this demand in Germany several institutions joined efforts and created THEREDA. It contains a relational databank whose structure was designed in a way that promotes internal consistency of thermodynamic data. It serves as back end to a variety of supplementary programs which allow for adding, editing, and extracting subsets of data. Data considered cover the needs of Gibbs Energy Minimizers and Law-of-Mass-Action programs alike. Interaction parameters for an arbitrary number of mixed phases and p,T-functions of thermodynamic data may also be entered. At present, Pitzer- and SIT-parameters for the aqueous phase are considered.
To enhance public use THEREDA is accessible via internet.

Graphene, the first atomically thin 2D material that was intensely investigated since its discovery in 2014, is a gapless semiconductor or semimetal with linear dispersion. Consequently, graphene absorbs light at all energies, in particular also at low photon energies in the THz frequency range. Here we show that pump-probe experiments at low photon energies can provide deep insights into the carrier dynamics. In particular, electron-phonon scattering can be disentangled from Coulomb scattering processes [1, 2]. Coulomb scattering in graphene is responsible for a number of unusual effects like strong Auger scattering under Landau quantization [3].
With respect to applications we present a graphene based detector with ultrafast response time of 40 ps. It operates in the very broad frequency range from visible to THz radiation [4].
[1] S. Winnerl, M. Orlita, P. Plochocka, P. Kossacki, M. Potemski, T. Winzer, E. Malic, A. Knorr, M. Sprinkle, C. Berger, W. A. de Heer, H. Schneider und M. Helm, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 237401 (2011).
[2] J. C. König-Otto, M. Mittendorff, T. Winzer, F. Kadi, E. Malic, A. Knorr, C. Berger, W. A. de Heer, A. Pashkin, H. Schneider, M. Helm und S. Winnerl, Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 087401 (2016).
[3] M. Mittendorff, F. Wendler, E. Malic, A. Knorr, M. Orlita, M. Potemski, C. Berger, W. A. de Heer, H. Schneider, M. Helm und S. Winnerl, Nature Phys. 11, 75 (2015).
[4] M. Mittendorff, J. Kamann, J. Eroms, D. Weiss, C. Drexler, S. D. Ganichev, J. Kerbusch, A. Erbe, R. J. Suess, T. E. Murphy, S. Chatterjee, K. Kolata, J. Ohser, J. C. König-Otto, H. Schneider, M. Helm, S. Winnerl, Optics Express 23, 28728 (2015).

We present photoconductive emitters based on Ge featuring gapless broadband spectra up to 13 THz. Thus they can fill the gap in the 5 – 10 THz range and can be excited with fiber lasers.

Ribbons and discs based on doped graphene feature strong tunable plasmonic resonances. We show that excitation with THz radiation results in strong changes of transmission, even at moderate pump fluences. The response is due to a broadening and redshift for the plasmonic absorption line as charge carriers are heated. The response time is determined by the cooling of carriers, which is of the order of 10 ps.

Sources for intense THz pulses allow one to investigate interesting nonlinear effects in various solid-state systems in a time-resolved manner. Here we discuss perturbative and non-perturbative nonlinear effects in graphene-based systems and GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells, respectively, which are excited by intense, tunable, narrowband THz pulses from a free-electron laser (FEL).
For the graphene-based samples we have pursued two strategies to resonantly enhance the linear and nonlinear response. One way is to apply a magnetic field perpendicular to the graphene layer.
This splits the linear band structure into a set of non-equidistant Landau levels. Four-wave mixing experiments on the lowest Landau levels reveal a strong nonlinearity and a rapid dephasing of the microscopic polarization on sub-ps timescales [1]. The second path for resonant enhancement is the fabrication of ribbons and discs of doped graphene that feature a strong plasmonic response [2]. The nonlinearity corresponding to the plasmonic response is based on a red-shift and broadening of the absorption line caused by carrier heating.
While the previously discussed phenomena are perturbative nonlinear effects, FEL pulses are also well suited to generate non-perturbative effects such as the intraexcitonic Autler-Townes effect and double dressing of polaritons in microcavities [3, 4]. Here we present novel results on the dressing of subbands in a single GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well by THz photons. To this end, the transition between the second and third subband was resonantly pumped with the FEL. Broadband probing by THz time-domain spectroscopy using GaP crystals for optical rectification enabled us to observe the THz-dressing of the electronic states. Namely Autler-Townes splitting occurs at the transition between the first and second subband while the transition from the second to the third subband is split into a Mollow triplet.
We are grateful to our collaborators M. M. Jadidi, T. E. Murphy, A. Belyanin, and E. Malic.
REFERENCES
1. König-Otto, J. C., Wang, Y., Belyanin, A., Berger, C. de Heer, W. A., Orlita, M., Pashkin, A., Schneider, H., Helm, M., Winnerl, S. "Four-wave mixing in Landau-quantized graphene," Nano Lett., Vol. 17, 2184-2188, 2017.
2. Jadidi, M. M., Daniels, K. M., Myers-Ward, R. L., Gaskill, D. K., Konig-Otto, J. C., Winnerl, S., Sushkov, A. B., Drew, H. D., Murphy, T. E., Mittendorff, M. "Optical control of plasmonic hot carriers in graphene," ACS Photonics, Vol. 6, 302307, 2019.
3. Wagner, M., Schneider, H., Stehr, D., Winnerl, S., Andrews, A. M., Schartner, S., Strasser, G., Helm, M. "Observation of the intraexciton Autler-Townes effect in GaAs=AlGaAs semiconductor quantum wells," Phys. Rev. Lett., Vol. 105, 167401, 2010.
4. Pietka, B., Bobrovska, N., Stephan, D., Teich, M., Krol, M., Winnerl, S., Pashkin, A., Mirek, R., Lekenta, K., Morier-Genoud, F., Schneider, H., Deveaud, B., Helm, M., Matuszewski, M., Szczytko, J. "Doubly dressed bosons: exciton polaritons in a strong terahertz field," Phys. Rev. Lett., Vol. 119, 077403, 2017.

Graphene plasmonics is an emerging field due the unique combination of spectral tunability, strong plasmonic resonance and low losses. Here we study the nonlinear optical properties of graphene bilayer ribbons, featuring a plasmonic resonance at 3.9 THz, in time resolved experiments. A redshift of the plasmonic resonance is observed upon excitation with picosecond THz pulses. The unconventional nonlinear effect is explained by the optical response of hot carriers. Already at fairly low fluences in the µJ/cm2 range strong changes in transmission in the 10 % range can be induced. This strong response, together with the fast recovery determined by the electron cooling time (∼10 ps), makes the system promising for optical switching applications.

Presentation of High Power Lasers Activities for
Advanced Accelerator Development
at the ELBE Center Dresden

Various self-organized nanoscale patterns emerge on surfaces which are irradiated by low- or medium-energy ion beams [1]. Depending on the irradiation conditions, hexagonally ordered dot or pit patterns, checkerboard patterns, as well as periodic ripple patterns are formed spontaneously due to the non-equilibrium conditions induced by continuous ion irradiation. In the collision cascade induced by an ion impact several defects, including interstitials, vacancies, ad-atoms and more complex defects are created. Below the recrystallization temperature, the surface is thus quickly amorphized by continuous ion irradiation and massive mass-transport takes place due to momentum-transfer from the ions to the near-surface atoms. Furthermore, ion sputtering is eroding the material non-homogeneously inducing a roughening instability.
On amorphous or amorphized surfaces, the formation of periodic patterns at high ion fluences results from an interplay of different roughening mechanisms, e.g. curvature dependent sputtering, ballistic mass redistribution, or altered surface stoichiometry on binary materials, and smoothing mechanisms, e.g. surface diffusion or viscous flow. Therefore, the patterns obey the symmetry given by the ion beam direction, i.e. hexagonal near order at normal incidence and two-fold symmetry with the ripple direction oriented perpendicular or parallel to the ion beam direction at off-normal incidence.
If the temperature during ion irradiation is above the recrystallization temperature of the material, ion induced defects are dynamically annealed and amorphization is prevented. The diffusion of ion-induced vacancies and ad-atoms on the crystalline surface is now additionally affected by the Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier, like in molecular beam epitaxy. Vacancies and ad-atoms are trapped on terraces and can nucleate to form pits or terraces, respectively. Patterns formed in this regime exhibit the symmetry of the crystal structure of the irradiated surface and often have inverse pyramidal shapes with well-defined facets [2,3]. Therefore, this mechanism is called “reverse epitaxy”.
1.1. Ion induced patterns on Ge and GaAs
In Fig. 1 examples of ion irradiation induced pattern are shown for amorphized Ge surface (a, b) and for Ge (001) (c) and GaAs (001) (d) irradiated above their respective recrystallization temperatures of 250° and 200°C.
1.2. Modelling pattern formation by continuum equations
Pattern formation on ion irradiated surfaces can be modelled my atomistic simulation methods, such as molecular dynamics (MD) and Monte-Carlo (kMC), or by continuum equations. Due to the large area and high fluences, MD and MC cannot cover the large dynamic range, however, they can provide valuable insight into defect generation and ion induced mass transport. Continuum equations on the other hand are coarse grain approximations, which can cover much larger spatial and temporal regimes. Information from MD or MC can furthermore be used as input for predictive modelling of new materials and irradiation conditions.

Introduction to the IOne Beam Cneter and Current Research.

In addition to sputtering, ion irradiation is often also leading to restructuring of the surface and a plethora of surface patterns can appear. At irradiation temperatures high enough to dynamically anneal defects induced by the collision cascades the surface remains crystalline. Still, a high density of ion-induced surface vacancies and adatoms remains and their diffusion is affected by the Ehrlich-Schwoebel (ES) barrier, i.e. an additional diffusion barrier to cross terrace steps. These defects are therefore trapped on terraces, nucleate and form pits or mounds [1]. In this way three dimensional, faceted nanostructures are formed, reflecting the underlying crystal lattice. Due to the similarity to growth of three-dimensional structures in molecular beam epitaxy this mechanism is called reverse epitaxy.
We will present patterns on Si and Ge surface induced by low energy, normal incidence, high fluence ion irradiation at temperatures above the recrystallization temperature. Patterns with very different symmetry can result, depending on the surface orientation: pyramidal structures with four-fold symmetry on the (001) surface, with three-fold and six-fold symmetry on the (111) surface and elongated structures with two-fold symmetry on the (011) surface [2].
Although Si and Ge have the same diamond crystal lattice, the resulting patterns and facets are different: on Ge(001) predominantly (105) facets are formed, whereas (115) facets are found on Si(001). Similarly, on Si(111) the pattern exhibits a six-fold symmetry with (123) facets, whereas on Ge(111) the patterns are formed by (356) facets and exhibit a three-fold symmetry. The formation mechanism and possible effects leading to these differences on Ge and Si surfaces will be presented and discussed.

Objective: Intracranial stenosis (ICS) may contribute to cognitive dysfunction by decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF) which can be measured quantitatively by Arterial Spin Labelling (ASL). Interpretation of CBF measurements with ASL, however, becomes difficult in patients with vascular disease due to prolonged arterial transit time (ATT). Recently, spatial coefficient of variation (sCoV) of ASL signal has been proposed that approximates ATT and utilized as a proxy marker of vascular insufficiency. We investigated the association of ICS with both CBF and sCoV parameters and its eventual effects on cognition in a memory clinic population.

Methods: We included 381 patients (mean age=72.3±7.9years, women=53.7%) who underwent 3T MRI and detailed neuropsychological assessment. ICS was defined as ≥50% stenosis in any intracranial vessel on 3D Time of Flight MR Angiography. Gray matter sCoV and CBF were obtained from 2D EPI pseudo-continuous ASL images.

Results: ICS was present in 58 (15.2%) patients. Patients with ICS had higher gray matter sCoV and lower CBF. The association with sCoV remained statistically significant after correction for cardiovascular risk factors. Moreover, ICS was associated with worse performance on visuoconstruction which attenuated with higher sCoV. Mediation analysis showed that there was an indirect effect of ICS on visuoconstruction via sCoV.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that changes in vascular insufficiency as detected by sCoV plays an important role in cognitive impairment among individuals diagnosed with ICS. We also showed that sCoV partially mediates the link between ICS and cognition. Therefore, sCoV may provide valuable hemodynamic information in patients with vascular disease.

The ion beam centre (IBC) of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf is a user facility primarily dedicated to research and application of ion beam techniques in materials research. The IBC comprises various ion beam facilities (accelerators, ion beam implanters, plasma-based ion beam equipment, focused / highly-charged ion facilities) which provide a wide energy range between 10 eV and 60 MeV. Besides these facilities, structural analysis (electron microscopy and spectroscopy, X-ray scattering techniques) and sample or device processing (under clean-room conditions) are part of the IBC to deliver a “complete” user service.
Special focus of the IBC is material research with low energy ions. Irradiations of surfaces with low energy ions can induce the formation of patterns with periodicities in the range of tens to hundreds of nanometers. At off-normal angle of incidence between 50° and 70° to the surface normal ripple patterns oriented perpendicular to the ion beam direction are observed. At normal incidence or for incidence angles smaller than 50° smoothing dominates on elemental materials, like Si and Ge. However, in contrast to irradiations at room temperature pattern formation is observed at normal ion incidence irradiations performed at temperatures above the recrystallization temperature of the material. Depending on the surface orientation checkerboard patterns with two-fold, three-fold, or six-fold symmetry reflecting the crystal structure of the irradiated surface are formed (Fig. 1).
Moreover, single impacts of low energy ions are used to create nanostructures and in thin membranes and for doping of 2D materials, like graphene and MoS2. In this case of highly charged ions the release of the potential leads to a local phase transformation of the material and subsequently to the formation of dots, pits or holes. Currently, a new facility for low energy ion nanoengineering is commissioned comprising a 100 keV accelerator for ion irradiations and MEIS, thin film deposition system, and different analytic tools for nanoscale analysis and characterization.

Invited talk on the role of femtoscale probing on laser plasma particle acceleration

Fabrication of device though bottom-up approach and using nanowires as building blocks has received significant attention as one can build flexible electronics which can handle stress better than thin film based device. However successful joining of the nanowires for fabrication of such device remains a challenge till date. While several well researched joining techniques are available for metal based nanowires, the same for ceramic nanowires is scarce at present. In this work we explore ion beam induced formation of heterojunction between two metal oxide nanowires, namely hydrogen titanate (H2Ti3O7) and cuprous oxide (Cu2O). The electron microscopy studies reveal detailed structural modifications at the joining sections. The ion beam modifications are explained using state-of-the-art TRI3DYN simulations, which details about migration of atoms, defects, sputtering, redeposition and atomic mixing between the two nanowires and emphasize that such junction formation is caused mainly due to atomic collisional effects.

How to develop a radiotracer for imaging of a molecular target in the brain: [18F]Fluspidine from layout to application in humans

Compact, bright neutron sources are opening up several emerging applications including detection of nuclear materials for national security applications. At Los Alamos National Laboratory, we have used a short-pulse laser to accelerate deuterons in the relativistic transparency regime. these deuterons impinge on a beryllium converter to generate neutrons. During the initial experiments where these neutrons were used for active interrogation of uranium and plutonium, we observed β-delayed neutron production from decay of 9Li, formed by the high-energy deuteron bombardment of the beryllium converter. Analysis of the delayed neutrons provides novel evidence of the divergence of the highest energy portion of the deuterons (i.e., above 10 MeV/nucleon) from the laser axis, a documented feature of the breakout afterburner laser-plasma ion acceleration mechanism. these delayed neutrons form the basis of non-intrusive diagnostics for determining the features of deuteron acceleration as well as monitoring neutron production for the next generation of laser-driven neutron sources.

Therapy resistance of tumor cells is a major obstacle for efficient anticancer treatment approaches and has been attributed to tumor heterogeneity as well as genetic and epigenetic changes. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that tumor cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix acts as an additional essential factor conferring tumor cell resistance to both radio- and chemotherapeutic intervention.
Our recent study demonstrates that DDR1 (discoidin domain receptor tyrosine kinase 1) elicits therapy resistance of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) stem-like and bulk cells through its adhesion to extra-cellular matrix and the subsequent modulation of macroautophagy/autophagy. Mechanistically, DDR1 associates with a YWHA/14–3-3-BECN1-AKT1 multiprotein complex favoring pro-survival/anti-autophagic and resistance-mediating AKT-MTOR signaling. In turn, inhibition of DDR1 sensitizes glioblastoma cells to radio- and chemotherapy by inducing autophagy. Collectively, our study suggests that DDR1 may be a potential target for sensitizing glioblastoma cells to combination therapies through its efficient induction of autophagic cell death.

Increasing evidence indicates that the heterogeneous tumor stroma supports therapy resistance at multiple levels. Fibroblasts, particularly cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are critical components of the tumor stroma. However, the impact of CAFs on the outcome of radiotherapy (RT) is poorly understood. Here, we investigated if and how fibroblasts/CAFs modulate the radiation response of malignant tumors by altering cancer cell radiosensitivity or radioresistance in vitro and in vivo. The influence of fibroblasts on cancer cell proliferation, cell death induction and long-term survival after RT was studied using different sets of fibroblasts and cancer cells in an indirect co-culture (2D) system to analyse potential paracrine interactions or a 3D model to study direct interactions. Paracrine signals from embryonic NIH-3T3 fibroblasts promoted MPR31.4 prostate and Py8119 breast cancer cell proliferation. Indirect co-culture with L929 skin fibroblasts induced higher levels of apoptosis in irradiated MPR31.4 cells, while they promoted proliferation of irradiated Py8119 cells. In addition, NIH-3T3 fibroblasts promoted long-term clonogenic survival of both tumor cell types upon irradiation in the 3D co-culture system when compared to non-irradiated controls. Also in vivo, co-implantation of cancer cells and fibroblasts resulted in different effects depending on the respective cell combinations used: co-implantation of MPR31.4 cells with NIH-3T3 fibroblasts or of Py8119 cells with L929 fibroblasts led to increased tumor growth and reduced radiation-induced tumor growth delay when compared to the respective tumors without co-implanted fibroblasts. Taken together, the impact of fibroblasts on cancer cell behavior and radiation sensitivity largely depended on the respective cell types used as they either exerted a pro-tumorigenic and radioresistance-promoting effect, an anti-tumorigenic effect, or no effect. We conclude that the plasticity of fibroblasts allows for such a broad spectrum of activities by the same fibroblast and that this plasticity is at least in part mediated by cancer cell-induced fibroblast activation toward CAFs.

Radiation therapy is an important and effective treatment option for prostate cancer, but high-risk patients are prone to relapse due to radioresistance of cancer cells. Molecular mechanisms that contribute to radioresistance are not fully understood. Novel computational strategies are needed to identify radioresistance driver genes from hundreds of gene copy number alterations. We developed a network-based approach based on lasso regression in combination with network propagation for the analysis of prostate cancer cell lines with acquired radioresistance to identify clinically relevant marker genes associated with radioresistance in prostate cancer patients. We analyzed established radioresistant cell lines of the prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and LNCaP and compared their gene copy number and expression profiles to their radiosensitive parental cells. We found that radioresistant DU145 showed much more gene copy number alterations than LNCaP and their gene expression profiles were highly cell line specific. We learned a genome-wide prostate cancer-specific gene regulatory network and quantified impacts of differentially expressed genes with directly underlying copy number alterations on known radioresistance marker genes. This revealed several potential driver candidates involved in the regulation of cancer-relevant processes. Importantly, we found that ten driver candidates from DU145 (ADAMTS9, AKR1B10, CXXC5, FST, FOXL1, GRPR, ITGA2, SOX17, STARD4, VGF) and four from LNCaP (FHL5, LYPLAL1, PAK7, TDRD6) were able to distinguish irradiated prostate cancer patients into early and late relapse groups. Moreover, in-depth in vitro validations for VGF (Neurosecretory protein VGF) showed that siRNA-ediated gene silencing increased the radiosensitivity of DU145 and LNCaP cells. Our computational approach enabled to predict novel radioresistance driver gene candidates. Additional preclinical and clinical studies are required to further validate the role of VGF and other candidate genes as potential biomarkers for the prediction of radiotherapy responses and as potential targets for radiosensitization of prostate cancer.

Hintergrund: In einer randomisierten Phase-III-Studie sollte untersucht werden, ob eine prophylaktische Ganzhirnbestrahlung bei kurativ-intendiert behandelten Patienten mit einem nicht-kleinzelligen Bronchialkarzinom (NSCLC) im Stadium III Einfluss auf das Auftreten von symptomatischen Hirnmetastasen hat.

In prostate cancer, disease progression after primary treatment and subsequent androgen deprivation therapy is common. Intensification of systemic treatment is the standard of care. Recently, 68[16_TD$DIFF]Ga prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography (PSMA-PET) imaging was introduced to identify oligometastatic prostate cancer patients. In this retrospective, exploratory study, we report on the efficacy of PSMA-PET-guided local ablative radiotherapy (aRT) in 15 oligometastatic castrationresistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients, selected from our prospective institutional database and treated between 2013 and 2016. After multidisciplinary discussion, aRT was delivered with two different schedules. Androgen deprivation therapy remained unchanged. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response and time to PSA progression were analysed. For comparison, individual time to PSA progression without aRT was estimated by individual PSA doubling time (PSADT). PSA response was observed in 11 patients (73%). Mean time to PSA progression or last follow-up was 17.9 mo, as opposed to 2.9 mo estimated from the PSADT without aRT (p <0.001). A relevant subset of CRPC patients had a PSA response with aRT to PET-positive lead metastases. A prospective trial is in preparation.
Patient summary: In selected patients with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) increase during androgen deprivation, metastases were detected with prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography imaging. Fifteen patients with three or fewer metastases were treated with high-dose radiotherapy. Subsequently, PSA values dropped in 11 patients and in six patients no PSA progression was detected for >12 mo.

für diesen Vortrag hat keine inhaltliche Kurzfassung vorgelegen

Objective: To independently validate the impact of tumour volume, p16 status, cancer stem cell (CSC) marker expression and hypoxia-associated gene signatures as potential prognostic biomarkers for patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), who underwent primary radiotherapy or radiochemotherapy (RCTx). These markers have previously been reported in a study of the German Cancer Consortium Radiation Oncology Group (DKTK-ROG) (Linge et al., 2016).
Materials and methods: In this retrospective monocentric study, 92 patients with locally advanced HNSCC were included. Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions and Cox models presented in the study of the DKTK-ROG were validated using the area under the curve (AUC) and the concordance index (ci), respectively. The primary endpoint of this study was loco-regional tumour control (LRC) after primary RCTx.
Results: Although both cohorts significantly differed in the proportion of the tumour subsites, the parameters tumour volume, p16 status and N stage could be validated regarding LRC and overall survival (OS) using multivariable Cox regression (LRC ci: 0.59, OS ci: 0.63). These models were slightly improved by combination with the putative CSC marker CD44 (LRC ci: 0.61, OS ci: 0.69). The logistic regression model for 2-year LRC based on tumour volume, p16 status and CD44 protein was validated with an AUC of 0.64. The patient stratification based on hypoxia-associated gene signatures status was similar to the original study but without significant differences in LRC and OS.
Conclusions: In this validation study, the inclusion of the putative CSC marker CD44 slightly improved the prognostic performance of the baseline parameters tumour volume, p16 status and N stage. No improvement was observed when including expressions of the hypoxia-associated gene signatures. Prospective validation on a larger cohort is warranted to assess the clinical relevance of these markers.

Solid-liquid interfaces are of crucial significance since their presence in nature is ubiquitous. They play a fundamental role in diverse fields as biology, fluid physics, radiation physics, geological and environmental research, surface science and electro-chemistry. Binnig and Rohrer (Nobel Price 1986) considered the significance of the solid-liquid interface as:

"The solid-liquid interface is, in our opinion, the interface of the future." [1]

Investigating phenomena at the interface of a solid and an aqueous solution, where chemical reactions, oxidation, corrosion, adhesion, dissolution and ion exchange may take place, represents a challenging task. The techniques applied should not influence any of these processes, they should be able to access the interface (through the liquid or through the solid) and simultaneously deliver quantitative information on the interface properties.

A new versatile experimental setup for in-situ Rutherford backscattering spectrometry at solid-liquid interfaces enabling direct and quantitative measurements with highest sensitivity is presented [2]. An electro-chemical liquid cell with a three-electrode arrangement was mounted at the IBCs 2MV Van-de-Graaff accelerator. A thin Si3N4 window (thickness down to 150 nm) separates the vacuum of the detector chamber from the electrolyte in the cell.

In a first study, we investigated the attachment of Ba onto the Si3N4 surface as a function of contact time and pH value of the electrolyte solution (see Fig. 1). From these measurements, we can deduce the evolution of the double layer with sub-monolayer sensitivity in a direct and quantitative manner.

Despite focusing on a particular system as presented here, the setup allows to conduct a large variety of in-situ investigations at solid-liquid interfaces such as monitoring of electro-chemical reactions, segregation, adsorption, dissolution and corrosion processes.

Details of the setup, its capabilities and limitations are presented and the results of first measurements are discussed in detail.

[1] G. Binnig and H. Rohrer, Reviews of Modern Physics 71 (1999), 324.
[2] N. B. Khojasteh, S. Apelt, U. Bergmann, S. Facsko and R. Heller, Review of Scientific Instruments (2019), submitted.

The general trend in technology and science to create, process and analyze small structures on the nm scale leads to new challenges in modern ion beam analysis (IBA). This is accompanied by higher demands on the lateral resolution as well as on high precision determination of elemental compositions on an atomic depth scale.

Thinner layer structures are closely related to an increased sensitivity on external impacts. Even the transport of a sample to the place of analysis under ambient conditions can lead to unwanted (chemical) modifications at the surface. Furthermore, in technological developments not only the state of a system after processing but the process itself may be of particular interest. “Online” IBA under process conditions is thus highly desired.

Classical IBA methods like RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry), ERD (Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis), PIXE (Particle Induced X-Ray Emission) or PIGE (Particle Induced Gamma Emission), either applied as broad beam or as a micro probe, can therefore quickly reach their limits.

In the present contribution, we give an overview on recent and ongoing developments of new IBA techniques and approaches at the HZDR Ion Beam Center (IBC) addressing the above-mentioned difficulties. These developments include in particular

• the implementation of IBA in a helium ion microscope enabling elemental mapping on the nm scale,
• the unification of different IBA techniques in complex experimental chambers including in-situ capabilities,
• a new setup for in-operando, online and quantitative analysis of solid-liquid interfaces with sub mono-layer sensitivity,
• A new low-energy ion laboratory equipped with a Medium Energy Ion Scattering (MEIS) chamber for quantitative elemental depth profiling on the nm scale.

We will give an overview on these techniques and their capabilities. Since the IBC is an international user facility all presented techniques are available for external users experiments.

Hintergrund In dieser retrospektiven Arbeit untersuchten die Autoren die Wirksamkeit und Sicherheit einer Kohlenstoffionentherapie lokal rezidivierter Rektumkarzinome.

Legionella pneumophila can cause a potentially fatal form of humane pneumonia (Legionnaires’ disease), which is most problematic in immunocompromised and in elderly people. Legionella species is present at low concentrations in soil, natural and artificial aquatic systems and is therefore constantly entering man-made water systems. The environment temperature for it’s ideal growth range is between 32 and 42°C, thus hot water pipes represent ideal environment for spread of Legionella. The bacteria are dormant below 20°C and do not survive above 60°C. The primary method used to control the risk from Legionella is therefore water temperature control. There are several other effective treatments to prevent growth of Legionella in water systems, however current disinfection methods can be applied only intermittently thus allowing Legionella to grow in between treatments. Here we present an alternative disinfection method based on antibacterial coatings with Cu-TiO2 nanotubes deposited on preformed surfaces. In the experiment the microbiocidal efficiency of submicron coatings on polystyrene to the bacterium of the genus Legionella pneumophila with a potential use in a water supply system was tested. The treatment thus constantly prevents growth of Legionella pneumophila in presence of water at room temperature. Here we show that 24-hour illumination with low power UVA light source (15 W/m2 UVA illumination) of copper doped TiO2 nanotube coated surfaces is effective in preventing growth of Legionella pneumophila. Microbiocidal effects of Cu-TiO2 nanotube coatings were dependent on the flow of the medium and the intensity of UV-A light. It was determined that tested submicron coatings have microbiocidal effects specially in a non-flow or low-flow conditions, as in higher flow rates, probably to a greater possibility of Legionella pneumophila sedimentation on the coated polystyrene surfaces, meanwhile no significant differences among bacteria reduction was noted regarding to non or low flow of medium.

Purpose: This secondary analysis of the prospective study on repeat [18F]fluoromisonidazole (FMISO)-PET in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) assessed the correlation of hypoxia in the primary tumour and lymph node metastases (LN) prior to and during primary radiochemotherapy.
Methods: This analysis included forty-five LN-positive HNSCC patients having undergone FMISO-PET/CTs at baseline, and at week 1, 2 and 5 of radiochemotherapy. The quantitative FMISO-PET/CT parameters maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax, corrected for partial volume effect) and peak tumour-to-background ratio (TBRpeak) were estimated in the primary tumour as well as in index and large LN, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using the Spearman correlation coefficient q.
Results: In 15 patients with large LN (FDG-PET positive volume >5 ml), there was a significant correlation between the hypoxia measured in the primary tumour and the large LN at three out of four time-points using the TBRpeak (baseline: q= 0.57, p = 0.006; week 2: q= 0.64, p = 0.003 and week 5: q= 0.68, p = 0.001). For the entire cohort (N = 45) only assessed prior to the treatment, there was a statistically significant, though weak correlation between FMISO-SUVmax of the primary tumour and the index LN (q= 0.36, p = 0.015).
Conclusions: We observed a significant correlation between FMISO-based hypoxia in the primary tumour and large lymph node(s) in advanced stage HNSCC patients. However, since most patients only had relatively small hypoxic lymph node metastases, a comprehensive assessment of the primary tumour and lymph node hypoxia is essential.

Ion beam irradiation of vertical nanopillar structures can be utilized to fabricate a vertical gate-all-around (GAA) single electron transistor (SET) device in a CMOS-compatible way. After irradiation of Si nanopillars (with a diameter of 35 nm and a height of 70 nm) by either 50 keV broad beam Si+ or 25 keV focused Ne+ beam from a helium ion microscope (HIM) at room temperature and a fluence of 2e16 ions/cm2, strong deformation of the nanopillars has been observed which hinders further device integration. This is attributed to ion beam induced amorphization of Si allowing plastic flow due to the ion hammering effect, which, in connection with surface capillary forces, dictates the final shape. However, plastic deformation can be suppressed under irradiation at elevated temperatures (investigated up to 672 K). Then, as confirmed by bright-field transmission electron microscopy, the substrate and the nanopillars remain crystalline and are continuously thinned radially with increasing fluence down to a diameter of 10 nm. This is attributed to enhanced forward sputtering through the sidewalls of the pillar, and found in reasonable quantitative agreement with the predictions from 3D ballistic computer simulation using the TRI3DYN program.
This work is supported by the European Union’s H-2020 research project ‘IONS4SET’ under Grant Agreement No. 688072.

Gratings, one of the most important energy dispersive devices, are the fundamental building blocks for the majority of optical and optoelectronic systems. The grating period is the key parameter that limits the dispersion and resolution of the system. With the rapid development of large X-ray science facilities, gratings with periodicities below 50 nm are in urgent need for the development of ultrahigh-resolution X-ray spectroscopy. However, the wafer-scale fabrication of nanogratings through conventional patterning methods is difficult. Herein, we report a maskless and high-throughput method to generate wafer-scale, multilayer gratings with period in the sub-50 nm range. They are fabricated by a vacancy epitaxy process and coated with X-ray multilayers, which demonstrate extremely large angular dispersion at approximately 90 eV and 270 eV. The developed new method has great potential to produce ultrahigh line density multilayer gratings that can pave the way to cutting edge high-resolution spectroscopy and other X-ray applications.

Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM) is best known for its high resolution imaging capabilities of both
conductive as well as insulating samples. However, since the introduction of Ne as a source gas for the
gas field ion source (GFIS) an increasing number of nano-fabrication applications are realized. While
the use of Neon as an imaging gas results in a somewhat lower lateral resolution (1.8 nm for 25 keV Ne +
compared to 0.5 nm for 30 keV He + ) the user usually benefits from the much higher cross section for
nuclear stopping. The latter results in a larger number of sputtered atoms, vacancies, interstitials and
chemical bonds broken directly by small impact parameter collisions.
After a brief introduction of the technique I will present results obtained using direct write milling, low
fluence ion beam irradiation and ion beam based mixing. In all cases the electronic, optical or magnetic
properties of the target material will be altered at the nano-scale in a controlled way to achieve new
functionality. The examples comprise
∙ Irradiation of 2D materials including a discussion on the achievable resolution
∙ The fabrication of a lateral spin valve and other magnetic structures using low fluence focused ion
beam irradiation
∙ Irradiation of Si nanostructures at elevated temperatures to avoid amorphization
∙ Irradiation of SiC with very low fluencies
For many of the presented examples the critical length scale of the nanostructure is smaller or in the
range of collision cascade. This size regime can not easily be accessed with traditional broad beam based
ion irradiation and holds many promises but also challenges that need to be overcome to enable new
device concepts and new functional materials on the nano-scale. The use of in-situ instrumentation to
characterize and influence the irradiated material during the irradiation is a key element for the above
examples.
This work is supported by the European Union’s H-2020 research project ‘IONS4SET’ under Grant
Agreement No. 688072.

Phase-stable electromagnetic pulses in the THz frequency range offer several unique capabilities in time-resolved spectroscopy. However, the diversity of their application is limited by the covered spectral bandwidth. In particular, the upper frequency limit of photoconductive emitters - the most widespread technique in THz spectroscopy – reaches only up to 7 THz in the regular transmission mode due to the absorption by infrared-active optical phonons. Here, we present ultra-broadband (extending up to 70 THz) THz emission from an Au implanted Ge emitter which is compatible with modelocked fibre lasers operating at 1.1 and 1.55 um wavelengths with pulse repetition rates of 10 and 20 MHz, respectively. This result opens a perspective for the development of compact THz photonic devices operating up to multi-THz frequencies which are compatible with Si CMOS technology.

I will present results obtained using Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM) [1] in various nanostructuring projects. The common goal of the research is to change the electronic or magnetic properties of the target material at the nano-scale in a controlled way to achieve new functionality. Where applicable this new functionality will be measured in-situ during the nanostructure fabrication process.
For all presented examples the critical length scale of the nanostructure is smaller or in the range of collision cascade.
This size regime can not easily be accessed with traditional broad beam based ion irradiation and holds many promises but also challenges that need to be overcome to enable new device concepts and new functional materials on the nano-scale.

Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM) is best known for its high resolution imaging capabilities of both conductive as well as insulating samples. Over the last decade several efforts have been made to also add high spatial resolution analytic capabilities to the instrument. In many cases the starting point for these efforts was given by existing high energy ion beam analysis techniques. In particular TOF-RBS, magnetic sector SIMS and TOF-SIMS have successfully been realized. In addition in-situ probing, and in-operando methods are used to evaluate directly the effect of ion beam irradiation on nanostructures.
New developments aim at the improving of magnetic sector SIMS and the implementation of scanning transmission ion microscopy.
This work is supported by European Union’s H-2020 research project ‘npSCOPE’ under Grant Agree-ment No. 720964 and the FNR STHIM project under grant number I7748, and by the German BMWi via Grant 03ET7016 and 03THW12F01.

Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM) has become a wide spread imaging and nanofabrication technology.
However, existing HIM users can currently not perform elemental analysis in an easy and cost efficient
way. We present results obtained using a light weight retrofitable Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass
Spectrometer (TOF-SIMS). I will briefly give an overview on new developments in our TOF-SIMS setup
which allows to obtain information on the elemental composition of the sample. The lateral resolution
for the presented TOF-SIMS add-on has been measured to be 8 nm. While not a dedicated high
mass resolution instrument it allows to answer many scientific questions by combining the high lateral
resolution of the HIM with elemental information. The examples include but are not limited to battery
materials and corrosion protection of steel.

Tailoring magnetic nanostructures with a He-Ne ion microscope

Ion beam induced collateral damage is becoming an issue in FIB processing, as it limits the
application of ion beams for nanostructure fabrication. This is of special importance for the
application of focused ion beams for nanostructure fabrication.
Here, we present an approach to mitigate the ion beam induced damage inflicted on semi -
conductor nanostructures during ion beam irradiation. Nanopillars (with a diameter of
35 nm and a height of 70 nm) have been irradiated with both, a 50 keV Si + broad beam and
a 25 keV focused Ne + beam from a helium ion microscope (HIM). Upon irradiation of the
nanopillars at room temperature with a medium fluence (2x10 16 ions/cm2), strong plastic
deformation has been observed which hinders further device integration. The shape and
crystallinity has been studied by HIM and TEM. This differs from predictions made by
Monte-Carlo based simulations using the TRI3DYN. However, irradiation at elevated tem-
peratures with the same fluence not only preserves the shape of the nanopillars but allows
for controlled diameter reduction by as much as 50 % without significant change in pillar
height.
It is well known that above a critical temperature amorphization of silicon is prevented in-
dependent of the applied fluence. At high enough temperatures and for not too high flux
this prevents the ion beam hammering and viscous flow of the nanostructures. These two
effects are responsible for the shape change observed at low temperature. We find that ir-
radiation above 650 K preserves the crystalline nature of the pillars and prevents viscous
flow. In addition, a steady thinning process of the nanopillars to a diameter of 10 nm with-
out a significant change in height is observed for higher fluencies at elevated temperatures.
As the original pillar diameter is smaller than the size of the collision cascade, enhanced
forward sputtering through the sidewalls of the pillar is responsible for this pillar-thinning
effect. Results for various ion beam energies, fluencies, fluxes and temperatures will be
presented and compared to TRI3DYN simulations. Such a reliable and CMOS-compatible
process could serve as a potential down scaling technique for large-scale fabrication of
nanostructure based electronics and many other FIB based milling applications.

Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM) utilizes a Gas Field Ion Source (GFIS) to create a Helium or Neon
ion beam with a diameter better than 0.5 nm and 1.8 nm, respectively. The method is well known
for its high resolution imaging and nano-fabrication capabilities which it is able to provide not only for
conducting but also insulating samples without the need for a conductive coating. However, the existing
GFIS based focused ion beam (FIB) tools suffer from the lack of a well integrated analytic method that
can enrich the highly detailed morphological images with material properties contrast. While HIM
technology is relatively young several efforts have been made to add such an analytic capability to
the technique. So far, ionoluminescence, secondary electron spectroscopy, backscattering spectrometry
(BS), and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) using a magnetic sector or time of flight (TOF)
setup have been demonstrated. In addition in-situ experiments can be performed that allow to directly
and in real time investigate the effect of the focused ion beam on the materials under various conditions.
I will present our efforts to perform in-situ experiments in the Helium Ion Microscope and enhance its
analytic capabilities. In the first part of my presentation I will give an overview of the in-situ characteri-
zation capabilities of the HZDR Orion NanoFab including in-situ heating and electrical characterization.
In the second part of the talk I will focus on different analytic approaches tested in the past. I will
briefly give an overview on ionoluminescence in the HIM and than present our newly developed TOF-BS
and TOF-SIMS setup which allow to obtain information on the composition of the sample. They both
utilize the same cost efficient and minimal invasive pulsing scheme for the primary ion beam. The lateral
resolution reached for TOF-BS is approximately 50 nm while for TOF-SIMS a value of 8 nm could be
reached. First images will be presented and the performance of the TOF-SIMS spectrometer will be
discussed.

In-situ experiments in the HIM

Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM) [1, 2] is best known for its high resolution imaging capabilities of both
conductive as well as insulating samples. However, since the introduction of Ne as an imaging gas for the
gas field ion source (GFIS) an increasing number of nano-fabrication applications are realized. While
the use of Neon as an imaging gas results in a somewhat lower lateral resolution (1.8 nm for 25 keV
Ne compared to 0.5 nm for 30 keV He) the user usually benefits from the much higher cross section for
nuclear stopping. The latter results in a larger number of sputtered atoms and bonds broken directly
by small impact parameter collisions.
After a brief introduction of the technique I will present results obtained using direct write milling low
fluence ion beam irradiation and ion beam based mixing. In all three cases the electronic or magnetic
properties of the target material will be altered at the nano-scale in a controlled way to achieve new
functionality. The examples comprise
∙ The fabrication of semiconducting graphene nano-ribbons by direct milling [3]
∙ The fabrication of a lateral spin valve structure using low fluence ion irradiation [4]
∙ The formation of individual 3 nm Si clusters for a room temperature single electron transistor [5]
For all presented examples the critical length scale of the nanostructure is smaller or in the range of
collision cascade. This size regime can not be accessed with traditional broad beam based ion irradiation
and holds many promises but also challenges that need to be overcome to enable new device concepts
and new functional materials on the nano-scale.
This work is supported by the European Union’s H-2020 research project ‘IONS4SET’ under Grant
Agreement No. 688072

Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM) [1, 2] is best known for its high resolution imaging capabilities of both
conductive as well as insulating samples. However, since the introduction of Ne as an imaging gas for the
gas field ion source (GFIS) an increasing number of nano-fabrication applications are realized. While
the use of Neon as an imaging gas results in a somewhat lower lateral resolution (1.8 nm for 25 keV
Ne compared to 0.5 nm for 30 keV He) the user usually benefits from the much higher cross section for
nuclear stopping. The latter results in a larger number of sputtered atoms and bonds broken directly
by small impact parameter collisions.
After a brief introduction of the technique I will present results obtained using direct write milling low
fluence ion beam irradiation and ion beam based mixing. In all three cases the electronic or magnetic
properties of the target material will be altered at the nano-scale in a controlled way to achieve new
functionality. The examples comprise
∙ The fabrication of semiconducting graphene nano-ribbons by direct milling [3]
∙ The fabrication of a lateral spin valve structure using low fluence ion irradiation [4]
∙ The formation of individual 3 nm Si clusters for a room temperature single electron transistor [5]
For all presented examples the critical length scale of the nanostructure is smaller or in the range of
collision cascade. This size regime can not be accessed with traditional broad beam based ion irradiation
and holds many promises but also challenges that need to be overcome to enable new device concepts
and new functional materials on the nano-scale.
This work is supported by the European Union’s H-2020 research project ‘IONS4SET’ under Grant
Agreement No. 688072

Magnetic multilayers (MLs) with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), such as Co/Pt or
Co/Pd, are the host materials for a variety of metastable magnetic configurations, e.g. aligned or labyrinth
stripe domains, bubble domains and their mixtures. The magnetic morphology at remanence mostly depends
on the specific demagnetization routine using an external magnetic field [1], whereas the characteristic size of
the magnetic objects (domain period or bubble radius) is mostly determined by the design parameters of the
magnetic MLs (e.g. the thickness of Co layer, periodicity and the number of repeats X) [1,2]. Interleaving the
Co/Pt blocks by Ru or Ir layers, which promote antiferromagnetic (AF) interlayer coupling between PMA ML
blocks, results in a class of artificial magnetic structures, known as synthetic antiferromagnets (SAFs) with
PMA. The AF interlayer exchange energy alters the typical energy balance, thus modifying the morphology
and characteristic size of magnetic domain states in PMA SAFs [1]. Stabilisation of magnetic bubble domain
states in SAFs is of particular practical interest [3], whereas other new magnetic configurations are of interest
for fundamental research. Here we present the mapping of magnetic states in SAFs for different
demagnetization protocols and ML parameters by means of monitoring the remanent magnetization Mr during
the AC or DC demagnetization process itself and performing magnetic force microscopy (MFM) imaging at the
intermediate states of interest (Fig. 1). The aligned stripe domain state is characterised by almost zero Mr,
whereas bubble domains [4] and mixed states (Fig. 1) manifest themselves by an enhanced Mr. The magnetic
states for SAFs with tunable parameters such as Co thickness and repetition number X will be presented. We
will also discuss the magnetic behaviour in synthetic ferrimagnets, where the two ML block sub-lattices have
different magnetic moments.
References: [1] O. Hellwig, A. Berger, J. B. Kortright, JMMM, Vol. 319, p.13-55 (2007)
[2] I. Lemesh, F. Büttner, G. S. D. Beach, Phys. Rev. B, Vol. 95, p.174423 (2017)
[3] K. Chesnel, A. S. Westover, C. Richards, Phys. Rev. B, Vol. 98, p.224404 (2018)
[4] A. Hubert, R. Schäfer, Magnetic Domains, Springer Berlin (2009)

The European Synchrotron and free-electron laser User Organisation (ESUO) established in 2010 represents about 22.000 users. It is composed of 30 member countries. Our vision is to support a thriving (European) synchrotron and FEL user community with equal opportunities of access and participation for all scientists, based solely on the scientific merit of their ideas.

für den Vortrag hat keine inhaltliche Kurzfassung vorgelegen

für diesen Vortrag hat keine inhaltliche Kurzfassung vorgelegen

The European Synchrotron and FEL User Organisation (ESUO) represents about 22 000 users of the European synchrotron radiation (SR) and Free-Electron Laser (FEL) facilities, which offer various kinds of experiments ranging from physics over life sciences up to cultural heritage. Established in 2010, ESUO is composed of national delegates from 30 European member states and associated countries and is headed by an executive board of eight members. Our vision is to support a thriving (European) synchrotron and FEL user community with equal opportunities of access and participation for all scientists, based solely on the scientific merit of their ideas.

Selective solar absorbers comprised of plasmonic materials offer great flexibility in design along with a highly promising optical performance. However, the nanopattern generation, typically done with electron beam writing, is a very time-intensive process. In this work, we present a fast, scalable, and flexible method for the fabrication of plasmonic materials by the combination of a deposition mask prepared by nanoimprint lithography and thin film deposition by magnetron sputtering. The fabrication process was first performed on silicon wafer substrates using AFM and SEM measurements to calibrate the deposition time, determine maximal deposition height, and characterize samples. Afterwards, the process was transferred to polished Inconel NiCr-alloy substrates used in high temperature solar absorbers. To investigate the adhesion properties of the nanostructure on the substrate, two different deposition methods were investigated: DC magnetron sputtering and High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS).

One of the major challenges in Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) implies an increase of the working temperature of the solar receiver. In particular, current central tower systems operate at maximum temperatures of 550 ºC mainly due to the severe degradation that the state of the art absorber paints (i.e. Pyromark®) suffer at higher temperatures. In previous works [1,2] aluminum titanium oxynitrides Al_yTi_1-y(O_xN_1-x) were shown to be excellent candidate materials for solar selective coatings (SSC). These results confirmed that the designed SSCs based on materials withstand breakdown at 600 ºC in air after 900 hours of thermal cycling.
In this paper we discuss the high temperature (up to 700ºC) stability in air of a solar absorber coating based on Al_yTi_1-y(O_xN_1-x) deposited by cathodic vacuum arc (CVA) at higher working pressure (P = 2.1 Pa) than those discussed in [1] and [2]. The composition, morphology and microstructure of the films were characterized by ion beam analysis, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The optical properties were determined by ellipsometry and spectrophotometry (UV-Vis-NIR, FTIR). The microstructural and morphological characterization shows the formation of a solid solution of AlTiN crystalline nanoparticles embedded in an amorphous Al₂(O, N)₃ matrix. This particular microstructure results in a coating with a high absorption coefficient within the whole wavelength range of interest (0,3 to 25 um) as modeled by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Hence, this single layer absorber shows a solar absorptance, α, of 92% and an emissivity, εRT, of 70%. The addition of an antireflective Al₂O₃ layer and post deposition thermal treatments improved the optical properties of the absorber to better values (α=96% and εRT=60%) than those of Pyromark®. The thermal stability in air of the absorber was firstly analyzed by cyclic heating tests, showing no degradation after 300h of cycles in air at 700ºC. Subsequently, the samples were tested in a solar furnace at 650 °C and 800 ºC for 12 hours at environmental conditions. Therefore, this absorber coating can be a feasible alternative to absorber paints for next generation of concentrated solar power plants operating at high temperature.
[1] I. Heras et al., Sol. Energy Mat. Solar Cells, 176, 81-92 (2018)
[2] R. Escobar-Galindo et al., Sol. Energy Mat. Solar Cells, 185, 183-191 (2018)

The European Synchrotron and free-electron laser User Organisation (ESUO) established in 2010 represents about 22.000 users. It is composed of 30 member countries. Our vision is to support a thriving (European) synchrotron and FEL user community with equal opportunities of access and participation for all scientists, based solely on the scientific merit of their ideas.

In situ processing and comprehensive characterization is essential for design and development of materials used and processed at high-temperatures. Here, a new cluster tool for processing and depth-resolved compositional, structural and optical characterization of layered
materials with thicknesses ranging from sub-nm to 1 μm at temperatures of -100 to 1000 °C is described [1]. The implemented techniques comprise
magnetron sputtering, ion irradiation, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry. The combination of techniques enables sample processing by scalable, clean, waste-free, and industry-relevant technologies, quantitative depth-profiling for elements with Z ≥ 6, structural and chemical characterization, sensitivity and nm-precise thickness and optical information for single layers, multilayers and composites. In this study, the cluster tool was used for i) metal-induced crystallization with layer-exchange of a-Si/ Ag layer stacks, and ii) for hightemperature characterization of two types of solar-selective coatings for concentrated solar power (CSP), namely Al Ti (O N )-based single and multilayers [2, 3] and an n-type doped solar-selective transparent conductive oxide [4]. Starting with an a-Si/ Ag bilayer stack, metal-induced silicon crystallization with partial layer exchange occurs at 540 °C. The final stack is approximately described by the sequence crystalline Si (c-Si)/ Ag/ c-Si. All the layers contain minor fractions of the other element. Moreover, the Si volume fraction comprises approximately 10 % of amorphous Si. For the CSP coatings, no compositional and structural changes were found up to a maximum temperature of 840 °C in vacuum. Both types of solar-selective coatings thus represent promising materials for the next generation of CSP technology.
[1] R. Wenisch et al., Anal. Chem. 90, 7837-7824 (2018)
[2] I. Heras et al., Sol. Energy Mat. Solar Cells, 176, 81-92 (2018)
[3] R. Escobar-Galindo et al., Sol. Energy Mat. Solar Cells, 185, 183-191 (2018)
[4] F. Lungwitz et al., submitted (2018)
Financial support by the EU, grant No. 645725, project FRIENDS , and the HGF via the W3 program (S.G.) is gratefully acknowledged.

We report on ultrasound measurements in a single crystal of the antiferromagnet U₂Rh₂Sn as a function of temperature and magnetic field. We find pronounced anomalies in the sound velocity at the Néel temperature, 25 K, and at the field-induced spin-flop-like transition at 22.5 T, which points to a strong magnetoelastic coupling. Additionally, we find that in the paramagnetic regime the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility and the field dependences of the magnetization and sound velocity of transverse acoustic waves can be well described assuming a localized character of the 5 f electrons. Using this premise, the crystal-electric-field scheme of U₂Rh₂Sn has been determined.

Magnetic properties and magnetic structures of layered GdMnSi₂ compound were studied using quasisingle crystal, high magnetic fields up to 520 kOe, and neutron powder diffraction experiment designed for high absorbent systems. It was shown that GdMn₂Si₂ has strong easy plane type magnetic anisotropy at temperatures T_Gd < 52 K at which Gd atoms are magnetically ordered. At temperatures 52 K < T < 453 K, the compound has antiferromagnetic ordering of Mn layers and easy axis type magnetic anisotropy with the easy axis directed along the tetragonal c-axis. The exchange-induced in-plane magnetic anisotropy of layered GdMn₂Si₂ at low temperatures arises to prevent magnetic frustration in Gd layers. Magnetic properties of GdMn₂Si₂ at temperatures below 52 K can be described within a threesublattice model based on the Yafet-Kittel approximation.

Wayforlight.eu is the gateway to finding the most suitable instruments for experiments with synchrotron, FEL, and laser light sources. The portal's main asset is a detailed searchable catalogue of facilities, beamlines, and instrumentation available at European light sources. Thanks to its advanced search tools, a visitor can filter beamlines by scientific discipline, by technique, but also by energy range or sample type.

New experimental methods for synthesis of low dimensional carbon structures still attract considerable attention, many of them based on catalytically driven processes.
In this contribution we present REELS and Auger spectroscopy study of Ni-induced
layer exchange in Ni/C-bilayer thin film system. EELS spectroscopy in reflected
mode (REELS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) were employed to characterize
the structure, homogeneity and quality of carbon and nickel film (each having
thickness around 50 nm) and their interface between, before and after thermal annealing
at 700 °C. AES mapping and depth profiling revealed a layer exchange
between the layers after thermal annealing, accompanied by partial nickel diffusion
into MgO substrate. REELS analysis showed successful structural transformation
of initially amorphous carbon layer into compact graphitic one. The transformed carbon
layer has a slightly rippled surface as confirmed by topological backscattered
electron imaging.

The graphitization of amorphous carbon in thin film stacks with Ni was investigated in situ as a function of the initial stacking order, temperature and time by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy. Four different bilayer and triple layer stacks were exposed to heating ramps up to 700 °C. The graphitization occurred simultaneously with a layer exchange (LE) and was completed during the applied heating ramp. The temperature-resolved measurements allowed the determination of the onset temperatures and transition rates for the respective stacking order. Finally, the activation energies for the graphitization of the amorphous carbon were estimated for both LE directions. In combination with thermodynamic calculations,
this in situ study allowed to identify metal-induced crystallization with LE via wetting and diffusion along grain boundaries as mechanism responsible for the graphitization of amorphous carbon thin films in contact with Ni, instead of bulk dissolution/precipitation. The proposed model can potentially be used to estimate the catalytic transformation of group 14 elements in contact with transition metals.

Two types of ions (fluorine and titanium) are implanted into films of regio-regular poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (rr-P3HT) spin-coated on glass substrates with subsequent annealing in argon atmosphere to modify their electrical properties and structure. The ion energy and fluence were within 0.2–40 keV and 10¹³–10¹⁵ cm⁻² respectively. The dc resistance enhances after the intensive ion beam treatment while the ac impedance decreases. Ti ion implantation with 40 keV energy and 10¹⁴ cm⁻² fluence induces decrease of the ac impedance by almost two orders of magnitude and appearance of the molecular hydrogen features in ¹H NMR spectrum. The UV–VIS spectra of the films are blue shifted after their exposal to the ion beams, which correlates with the presence of oxygen. The ratio of the oxygen to carbon peak intensities (O1s/C1s) in the XPS spectra is proposed as a measure for the local partial disturbance of the film. EPR spectra demonstrate formation of the paramagnetic states with g factor <2, which is accompanied with the down-field shift of the NMR spectrum. The ion beams are found to have no significant etching effect as per results of the film thickness measurements and AFM images.

The catalytic graphitization with layer exchange (LE) of amorphous carbon in thin film stacks with Ni was investigated as a function of the initial stacking order. Bilayer and triple layer stacks were exposed to heating ramps up to 700 °C. Raman spectroscopy showed the formation of a layered graphitic structure after the annealing.
During outwards LE, as C is transported towards the sample surface, a smooth layer with graphitic planes parallel to the interface with the substrate has formed through a 2D growth. A significant restructuring of the Ni layer appeared during inwards LE, as C is transported towards the substrate. Here, the fragmentation of the Ni layer, as well as the regions with turbulence-like and folding defects indicated a 3D growth.
The degree of LE, quantified by ion beam analysis, is 95 % and 80 % for the outand inwards direction, respectively. Based on the calculation of surface and interface energies of the initial and final states, thermodynamic estimations pointed to the wetting of Ni grain boundaries by C atoms as the initial driving force for the LE and allowed a consistent understanding of the LE directionality and of the final thin film microstructure.

One of the fascinating qualities of spin waves (or magnons), which are the elementary excitations in magnetically ordered substances, is their nonlinear behavior at moder- ate excitation powers. This makes spin waves not only an attractive model system to study general nonlinear systems, but it also provides a way to utilize nonlinear dynamics in possible technical applications. In a ferromagnetic nano disk which is magnetized in the vortex state, the spin-wave modes meet strict boundary conditions and therefore inherit a discrete spectrum. When driven with a large enough excitation field, they can decay into other spin-wave modes within well-defined channels due to a nonlinear process called three-magnon scattering [1]. The aim of this project is to explore this phenomenon within nonlinear spin-wave theory and by means of micromagnetic simulations.
For this purpose, first the linear dynamics are mapped out and the possible scattering channels are predicted. The stability of these channels with respect to static external fields is studied. Within this context, exotic spin-wave modes which arise in a broken cylindrical symmetry are found. Moreover, a model to predict the temporal evolution of the spin-wave modes is developed within the classical Hamiltonian formalism for nonlinear spin-wave dynamics. Together with micromagnetic simulations, this model is applied in order to study the power-dependence of three-magnon scattering as well as to uncover a phenomenon called stimulated three-magnon scattering, which may allow for an integration of this nonlinear pro- cess in magnonics circuits. The results are compared with Brillouin light-scattering experiments which were conducted prior to this thesis or were motivated by it. Financial support of within DFG programme SCHU 2922/1-1 and KA 5069/1-1 is acknowledged.

In this talk I will make a brief overview of our activities for integration of different 1D and 2D materials into functional structures and devices.

I will first present the work on fabrication, processing and application of group IV semiconductor nanowires (NWs). These include top-down fabricated Si, SiGe and Ge NWs as well as bottom-up grown Si, Ge1-xSnx with x = 0.07-0.1 and GaAs/In0.45Ga0.55As NWs. I will also consider the innovative devices that we are targeting: junctionless nanowire transistors (JNTs), reconfigurable field effect transistors (RFETs) and band-to-band tunnel FETs (TFETs).

I will next discuss our activities for fabrication and characterisation of FETs based on 2D heterostructures. As examples I will show FETs fabricated on hBN-encapsulated InSe, a material with attractive properties but very unstable in ambient atmosphere, as well as TFETs fabricated on hBN/MoS2/WSe2/graphene heterostructures.

Finally, I will pay some attention to our work on using DNA origami templates for the fabrication of functional structures with the outlook to the application of DNA origami for self-assembly of electronic circuits. In particular, I will show fabrication of conducting metallic NWs using templates of DNA nanotubes, nanosheets and nanomoulds as well as incorporation into them of molecules and semiconducting nanoparticles for enhanced electronic functionality.

Germanium (Ge) is a promising high mobility channel material for future nanoelectronics. Materials with high carrier mobility can enable increased integrated circuit functionality or reduced power consumption. Hence, Ge based nanoelectronic devices could offer improved performance at reduced power consumption compared to Si electronics [1].

The introduction of impurity atoms allows the tuning of the electrical properties of the semiconductor material. Ion beam implantation is an industrial standard for semiconductor's doping as it can incorporate single ion species with a single energy in a highly controlled fashion. However, the destructive nature of ion beam implantation requires a crystal recovery step such as an annealing process [2].

In this work, Germanium-on-insulator (GeOI) substrates were doped with phosphorous (P) using ion beam implantation followed by flash lamp annealing (FLA). During FLA process the implanted layer recrystallized and P was electrically activated. Then Ge nanowires were fabricated using electron beam lithography (EBL) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching. Raman spectra showed the amorphisation of Ge structure after implantation and good recovery after FLA (Fig. 1). Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) measurement in random (R) and channeling (C) modes (Fig. 2) were used to verify the crystal quality of Ge layer before and after FLA. As one can see, the yield intensity of the channeling mode was increased after implantation, which can be related to amorphisation of the top Ge layer. Also, the yield peak of flashed GeOI has a good match with unimplanted counterpart, which shows the good recrystallization during FLA. Moreover, we designed Hall effect measurement configuration for single Ge nanowires (Fig. 3) to determine the carrier mobility and carrier concentration. The results of these measurements will be shown at the conference [3,4]. The goal is to fabricate p-n junction along the Ge nanowires and use it as an infrared sensor.

Germanium (Ge) is a promising high mobility channel material for future nanoelectronic devices with a lower effective charge carrier mass than Silicon (Si) and higher electron and hole mobility. Materials with high carrier mobility can enable increased integrated circuit functionality. Hence, Ge based nanoelectronic devices could offer improved performance at reduced power consumption compared to Si electronics. In this work, Ge nanowires were fabricated using electron beam lithography (EBL) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching. Then ion beam implantation was used to introduce phosphorous (P) dopant atoms into the Ge nanowires. Afterwards, flash lamp annealing (FLA) was applied to recover the crystal structure of the Ge nanowires and activate the dopant atoms. Micro-Raman spectroscopy spectra showed that by increasing the fluence of ion implantation, the peak of optical phonon mode in Ge was broadened asymmetrically which shows that dopant atoms are electrically activated. Moreover, we are designing Hall Effect measurement configurations for single Ge nanowires to determine their mobility and carrier concentrations.

This paper reports on the results of Er+ ion implantation into various ZnO structures - standard single crystal c-plane (0001) ZnO, nanostructured thin films and nanorods. Er+ ions were implanted using an ion implantation energy of 400 keV and implantation fluences in the range of 5×1014 to 5×1015 ions/cm2. Er concentration depth profiles and the degree of crystal damage were measured using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and RBS/channelling (RBS/C). Additionally, Raman spectroscopy was used to analyse structural modifications of the prepared samples. The main focus was placed on the luminescence properties of various ZnO structures. The results showed that the characteristic bands of ZnO, i.e. near-band-edge (NBE) luminescence and deep-level emission (DLE) - that can be influenced by the excitation wavelength - appeared in the spectra of single crystals and nanorods. The characteristic luminescence bands of erbium ions in the NIR region appeared in ZnO single-crystal samples and nano-crystalline films.

Germanium (Ge) is a promising high mobility channel material for future nanoelectronic devices with a lower effective charge carrier mass than Silicon (Si), which results in a higher electron (×2) and hole (×4) mobility. Materials with high carrier mobility can enable increased integrated circuit functionality or reduced power consumption. Hence, Ge based nanoelectronic devices could offer improved performance at reduced power consumption compared to Si electronics. Doping or the introduction of impurity atoms allows the tuning of the electrical properties of the semiconductor material. Ion beam implantation is an industrial standard for semiconductor's doping as it can incorporate single ion species with a single energy in a highly controlled fashion. The destructive nature of ion implantation doping due to the deposited energy and resultant cascade of recoils within the nanowire volume requires a crystal recovery step such as an annealing process. In this work, Ge nanowires were first fabricated using electron beam lithography (EBL) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching. Then ion beam implantation was used to introduce phosphorous (P) dopant atoms into Ge nanowires. Afterwards, flash lamp annealing (FLA) was applied to recover the crystal structure of Ge nanowires and activate the dopant atoms. Micro-Raman spectroscopy spectra showed that, by increasing the fluency of ion implantation, the optical phonon mode of Ge peak was broadened asymmetrically. This is related to the Fano effect and shows that dopant atoms are placed in substitutional positions and are electrically activated. Moreover, we are designing three- and four-probe Hall Effect measurement configurations for single Ge nanowires to determine their mobility and carrier concentrations.

As high power laser systems producing high repetition rate pulses become interesting for applications in e.g.
radiation therapy, there is a high demand for rapid and controlled target delivery at the high power laser focus.
Due to their continuous and debris-free operation, cryogenic target systems producing renewable jets of
hydrogen [1] or other species proved to be very beneficial. Furthermore, the low plasma density of solid single
species hydrogen of only 30nc@800nm and the availability of different jet geometries allowed for gaining
deeper understanding of the laser proton acceleration process [2,3,4]. In this talk we focus on the
implementation of a hydrogen jet target at the Petawatt (PW) beam line of the high power laser source DRACO
at HZDR. The laser system delivers pulses with energies of up to 23J and pulse durations of about 30 fs on
target. We present significant improvements of the operation robustness of the cryogenic target with respect to
the harsh environment around the interaction zone and thereby leading to substantial increase in stability of the
laser accelerated proton beams. Prior and during experiments, characterization of the jet target was conducted
with a synchronized off-harmonic optical probe laser. It allowed for on-shot study of the onset of ionization
induced by the leading edge of the main laser pulse prior to its intensity maximum with sub-picosecond time
resolution. Also, by adding artificial pre-pulses the initial shape and size of the target can be engineered for
optimal interaction conditions with the high intensity laser pulse.

The probabilities of various elementary laser/photon/electron/positron interactions display in selected phase space and parameter regions typical nonperturbative dependencies such as proportional to P exp{/aE(crit)/E}, where P is a preexponential factor, E-crit denotes the critical Sauter/Schwinger field strength, and E characterizes the (laser) field strength. While the Schwinger process with a = a(S) pi and the nonlinear Breit/Wheeler process in the tunneling regime with a = a(nlBW) 4m/3 omega' (with omega' the probe photon energy and m the electron/positron mass) are famous results, we point out here that also the nonlinear Compton scattering exhibits a similar behavior when focusing on high harmonics. Using a suitable cutoff c > 0, the factor a becomes a = a(nlC) 2/3 cm/(p(0) + root p(0)(2) / m(2)). This opens the avenue toward a new signature of the boiling point of the vacuum even for field strengths E below E-crit by employing a high electron beam/energy p(0) to counter balance the large ratio E-crit/E by a small factor a to achieve E/a -> E-crit. In the weak/field regime, the cutoff facilitates a threshold leading to multiphoton signatures showing up in the total cross section at subthreshold energies.

Beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerators (PWFAs) offer a unique regime for the generation and acceleration of high-quality electron beams to multi-GeV energies. Here we present an innovative hybrid staging approach, deploying electron beams generated in a laser-driven wakefield accelerator(LWFA) as drivers for a PWFA, integrated in a particularly compact setup. This scenario exploits the capability of LWFAs to deliver shortest, high peak-current electron bunches [1] with the prospects for high-quality witness beam generation in PWFAs [2]. The feasibility of the concept is presented through exemplary particle-in-cell simulations, before describing experimental results from extensive campaigns performed at high-power laser facilities; ATLAS (LMU, Munich), SALLE-JAUNE (LOA, Paris) and DRACO (HZDR, Dresden). Using few-cycle optical probing we captured clear images of beam-driven plasma waves in a dedicated plasma stage, allowing us to identify a non-linear plasma-wave excitation regime. Trailing the plasma waves, the impact of ion motion to the transverse modulation of the plasma density was observed over many picoseconds [3]. Furthermore, we demonstrate for the first time the acceleration of distinct witness beams in such LWFA-driven PWFA (LPWFA) setup, showcasing an accelerating gradient on the order of 100 GV/m. These milestones pave the way towards compact sources of energetic ultra-high brightness electron beams as well as a miniature model for large scale PWFA facilities.

We investigate the magnetic field dependence of the spin excitation spectra of the chiral soliton lattice (CSL) in the helimagnet CrNb₃S₆, by means of microwave resonance spectroscopy. The CSL is a prototype of a noncollinear spin system that forms periodically over a macroscopic length scale. Following the field initialisation of the CSL, we found three collective resonance modes over an exceptionally wide frequency range. With further reducing the magnetic field towards 0 T, the spectral weight of these collective modes was disrupted by the emergence of additional resonances whose Kittel-like field dependence was linked to coexisting field polarised magnetic domains. The collective behaviour at a macroscopic level was only recovered upon reaching the helical magnetic state at 0 T. The magnetic history of this non collinear spin system can be utilized to control microwave absorption, with potential use in magnon driven devices.

The coupling between high power laser-driven plasmas physics, atomic physics and nuclear physics aiming to detect and study NEEC/NNET is a very interesting and exciting research area. In this talk, we propose to study NEET/NEEC in buried layer targets, using high repetition-rate (1-10 Hz) 100 TW to PW class laser systems. In this scenario, extreme conditions of highly charged ions with ~ keV temperature at solid density are predicted by our Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations (including both collisions and ionization) enabling the study of NEET/NEEC in buried layers [1]. The simulations show that the expansion/compression waves are launched at layer interfaces due to Gigabar electron pressure gradients caused by return current heating. The hydro-motion pushed by the expansion/compression waves is rapidly converted into thermal motion mainly due to the efficient ion-ion collisional coupling, leading to the extreme temperatures at about solid density. The experimental feasibility to realize NEET/NEEC at the HZDR DRACO laser and the HiBEF laser at EuXFEL will be discussed [2].
[1] L. G. Huang, M. Bussmann, T. Kluge, A. L. Lei, W. Yu, and T. E. Cowan, Phys. Plasmas 20, 093109 (2013).
[2] http://www.hibef.eu.

Demanding applications like radiation therapy of cancer have pushed the development of laser proton accelerators and defined necessary proton beam properties as well as levels of control and stability.
The presentation will give an overview of the recent experiments for laser driven proton acceleration employing a cryogenic target system which is capable of producing a renewable and debris free jet target. The micrometer sized pure hydrogen jet is characterized by a low plasma density of 30 times the critical density at 800 nm and was irradiated at the Petawatt (PW) amplifier stage of the high power laser source DRACO at the HZDR. The Ti:sapphire system delivers laser pulses with energies of up to 23 J and pulse durations of 30 fs on target.
In this talk we present substantially improvements of the target system leading to an increase in stability of the accelerated protons as well as the long-term operations. Evaluation of different target geometries (cylindrical with a diameter of 5µm and planar with up to 4x20 µm²) demonstrating the capabilities in terms of size and shape of available hydrogen jets.
We report on the laser contrast dependencies of the proton beam properties by introducing artificial pre-pulses and describe their influence on the target shape at the interaction time by using a synchronized optical probe beam.
Furthermore different ion diagnostics reveal mono-species proton acceleration in the laser incidence plane from the jet target, reaching foil-like proton cut-off energies in target normal direction.

In this talk, we will firstly present a systematic study of the bulk magnetic field generation using particle-in-cell simulations, that we observe the effect of varying the laser and target parameters, including laser intensity, focal size, incident angle, preplasma scale length, target thickness and material, and experimental geometry. The simulation results suggest that the strongest magnetic field is generated with laser incident angles and preplasma scale lengths that maximize laser absorption efficiency. The simulations have also shown that the collisional ionization potential and model are critical to determining the structure and diffusion time of the self-generated magnetic fields. Then we will propose to probe the bulk magnetic fields inside the solid density plasmas by X-Ray polarimetry via Faraday rotation using an X-Ray free electron lasers (XFEL), taking its advantage of simultaneous high spatial-temporal resolution and several tens of micrometers attenuation length in solid. The synthetic simulations predict that the XFEL polarization is rotated by a few hundred micro-radians after penetrating through solid density plasmas which is feasible to be measured with X-Ray polarimetry.
With the results of this work, we are in an excellent position to maximize our chances of measuring laser generated magnetic fields using Faraday rotation at high power laser beamlines at XFELs. One of the first examples of this will be at the European XFEL-HED endstation, in the frame of Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields at the European XFEL (HiBEF) project, where a 7.5J/300TW high power laser has already installed as a permanent instrument. A dedicated beamtime at the European XFEL-HED endstation to investigate the performance of ultra-high purity X-ray polarimeters under the conditions of European XFEL source has already been scheduled in the end of May, 2019. This is expected to become the basis to probe the laser-driven ultra-strong magnetic fields inside the solid-density targets, accessed via plasma Faraday rotation and imaging polarimetry.

The integrated flow of primary and secondary resources in the loop is in the centre of the Circular Economy (CE) paradigm. To optimize the use of resources, a system-wide thinking, which links the primary and secondary production of the whole processing chain, is required. Digitalization and process simulation enable the linking of these relevant aspects together, optimising the resource use and minimising the environmental impact.

Aluminium’s reactivity poses a challenge for resource efficient recycling. In the re-melting of Al scrap, most of the impurities remain in the molten aluminium. This emphasizes the importance of the quality of the scrap in preventing contamination and reducing the need for dilution with primary aluminium in the alloying phase.

This paper analyses an aluminium recycling flowsheet that combines detailed physical separation models with re-melting and alloy production. The simulation model captures the impact feed quality and the efficiency of the physical separation stage have on specific alloy production. Optimum strategies for alloy production can be found for each specific feed type to minimise resource consumption. The paper demonstrates how digitalization allows more precise and efficient use of finite resources in the sense of CE.